A Celebration of Our First Black Graduates Saturday, February 25, 2017 Welcome to the UTrailblazers Gala! The University of Miami admitted its first black students in 1961, 35 years after opening for classes in 1926. Black students, faculty, staff, and alumni have enriched the University’s culture, academic vigor, and overall excellence in countless ways throughout the 56 years since our desegregation. The UTrailblazers Gala and related events are a celebration of unprecedented size and scope to honor black graduates of the 1960s and 1970s as well as faculty and staff members who helped blaze a trail of inclusion at the U. Launched by members of the UM Black Alumni Society in 2013, the First Black Graduates Project is an initiative to unearth the powerful voices, experiences, and contributions of the University’s first black graduates and ensure they are embedded into the fabric of our beloved Hurricanes history. Years of sifting through yearbooks, researching archives in the Richter Library, and grassroots outreach have yielded precious material and human connections that will continue to shape the University’s identity and aspirations in the years leading to its 100th anniversary and beyond. Program Welcome Antonio Junior, A.B. ’79 • Denise R. Mincey-Mills, B.B.A. ’79 • Phyllis E. Tyler, B.B.A. ’79 Chairs, First Black Graduates Project Committee Invocation, Blessing of Meal, and Singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” Reverend Walter T. Richardson Opening Remarks Musical Performance Finesse Mitchell, B.S.C. ’95 Nicole R. Henry, B.S.C. ’00 Master of Ceremonies Recording Artist Welcome from the University First Black Graduates Special Recognition Thomas J. LeBlanc Thomas J. LeBlanc Executive Vice President and Provost Executive Vice President and Provost Remarks Spoken Word Performance Sergio M. Gonzalez Speak What U Feel Senior Vice President for University Advancement and External Affairs First Black Graduates Endowed Scholarship Announcement Introduction of Keynote Speaker John M. King, B.S. ’78 H. T. Smith, Jr., J.D. ’73 Arlene Johnson, M.A.L.S. ’06 Vice Chair, University of Miami Board of Trustees Troy Odom First Black Graduates Project Committee Members Keynote Address George F. Knox, J.D. ’73 Presentation of the Inaugural First Black Attorney, Educator, and Community Leader Graduates Endowed Scholarship In honor of Ruth Taylor Giles Dance Performance Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., B.S.C. ’89 OLEKU Dance Team President and CEO, Thurgood Marshall College Fund Top of the Class Presentation and Acknowledgments Special Recognition of Faculty, Staff and Antonio Junior, A.B. ’79 Administrators Denise R. Mincey-Mills, B.B.A. ’79 Margery S. “Bunty” Johnson, B.S. ’79 Phyllis E. Tyler, B.B.A. ’79 Phyllis E. Tyler, B.B.A. ’79 Chairs, First Black Graduates Project Committee Vickie M. (Battle) Horn, B.S. ’82 First Black Graduates Project Committee Members University of Miami Alma Mater Closing Prayer and Blessing Reverend Melissa A. Rolle-Scott, B.S.I.E. ’79 Musical break entertainment proudly provided by the Frost School of Music. Top of the Class These Top of the Class UTrailblazers have a distinguished record throughout their lives of blazing the trail and building the dream of inclusion and diversity. Benny O’Berry, Dorothy M. Wallace, Harold Long, Jr., George L. Sanders, B.Ed. ’62 (posthumously) M.Ed. ’63 A.B. ’68, J.D. ’71 M.D. ’69 Michael Kotler, ’76 Ray Bellamy, B.S.Ed. ’72, George F. Knox, A. David Makepeace, H. T. Smith, Jr., J.D. ’73, M.S.Ed. ’77 J.D. ’73 B.S. ’73 Vice Chair, UM Board of Trustees Congresswoman Burgess Owens, C. J. Latimore, Kim Y. Sands, Frederica S. Wilson, B.S. ’75 B.F.A. ’76 B.Ed. ’78 M.Ed. ’73 UTrailblazers Gala Master of Ceremonies Born and raised in Atlanta, Finesse Mitchell, B.S.C. ’95, was a walk-on player for the Miami Hurricanes football team and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. After graduating from the U, he followed his passion for comedy and landed center stage on shows like Saturday Night Live, Disney’s A.N.T. Farm, and Showtime’s Roadies, to name a few. He has also appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and NBC’s Today Show. Mitchell is also a devout supporter of the men and women in the armed forces, appearing in Ron White’s Comedy Salute to the Troops, which aired on Country Music Television (CMT) to benefit the Armed Forces Foundation. Special Honorees The following faculty and administrators represent just a few of the many individuals who impacted the lives of those who attended the U during this time. William Butler, Hon. ’02 Ted Nichols, J.D. ’79 Student Affairs Office of the President Nancy T. Clasby Thomas Papino II (posthumously) (posthumously) Department of English College of Arts and Sciences Ronald A. Hammond, M.Ed. ’74 Anna M. Price, Ph.D. ’87, M.A.L.S. ’12 (posthumously) Upward Bound, Student Support Services, Student Financial and Career Planning Department of Athletics, School of Education and Human Development Whittington B. Johnson Afro-American Studies and Department of History Hollis F. Price, Jr. Department of Economics Henry King Stanford, Hon. ’81 (posthumously) Charlotte Rogers, M.B.A. ’78, J.D. ’82 President Emeritus Reading Clinic and Department of English Joseph Middlebrooks Robert H. Waters School of Architecture (posthumously) School of Law Robert F. Moore Office of Academic Enhancement and Department Nancy Wilson-Young, M.Ed. ’70 of Teaching and Learning Minority and International Admissions Joyce Knox Moorehead R. Paul Young, M.A. ’71, Ed.D. ’82 Student Activities Academic Affairs Help Continue to Build the Dream One goal of the First Black Graduates Project is to document and celebrate those who blazed a trail of inclusion at the University of Miami. Another equally important goal is to ensure that diverse voices and perspectives can continue to enrich the entire UM family. The First Black Graduates Endowed Scholarship seeks to build an endowment fund capable of offering $2,500 per year to two accomplished black students who face financial hardships. This is an opportunity to link the courage and resolve of the past with the promise of the future. Make a gift today at miami.edu/firstblackgraduates or contact Arlene Johnson, M.A.L.S. ’06, development director, at 305-284-6232 or [email protected]. Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., B.S.C. ’89, has kicked off this endowment drive by funding the first two recipients of the First Black Graduates Endowed Scholarship. We are proud to honor his commitment to education. Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., B.S.C. '89 Named one of the “Power 100” by Ebony magazine in its 2011 list of the 100 most influential African-Americans, Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. is president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), the only national organization representing nearly 300,000 students attending this country’s 47 publicly supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Prior to becoming president in 2010, Taylor worked as a senior executive for IAC/ InterActiveCorp. An Isaac Bashevis Singer Scholar at the University of Miami, he went on to earn a Master of Arts from Drake University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Drake Law School, where he served as research editor of the Drake Law Review and argued on the National Moot Court Team. He is licensed to practice law in Florida, Illinois, and Washington, DC. UTrailblazers Committees Special thanks to the following individuals whose dedicated efforts carried UTrailblazers from dream to reality. Library Exhibition Shandi Speller, A.B. ’84 Elizabeth Del Campo, M.A.L.S. ’08 Gail St. Germain, B.B.A. ’02 Charles Eckman Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., B.S.C. ’89 Marcia Heath Phyllis E. Tyler, B.B.A. ’79 Leandra Hayes Stephen Taylor, B.S. ’77 Koichi Tasa David L. Wilson, B.B.A. ’82 Black Alumni Society— University-Wide Committee All UTrailblazers Events Donna A. Arbide, M.B.A. ’95 Ray Bellamy, B.S.Ed. ’72, M.S.Ed. ’77 Tricia Brodeur Theresa Brown, B.B.A. ’82 Meredith Camel, M.F.A. ’12 Cie J. Cochran, B.B.A. ’01, M.P.A. ’06 Quentin Derryberry III Randall Darling, B.B.A. ’80 Renee Dickens Callan Vickie M. (Battle) Horn, B.S. ’82 Serina Gerundo Rebecca Ingram, B.Ed. ’76 Sergio M. Gonzalez Margery S. “Bunty” Johnson, B.S. ’79 Katy Hennig Antonio Junior, A.B. ’79 Braylond Howard Sharon Kendrick Williams, A.B. ’80 Arlene Johnson, M.A.L.S. ’06 John M. King, B.S. ’78 Kate Lake George F. Knox, J.D. ’73 Ivette Mancha Harold Long, Jr., A.B. ’68, J.D. ’71 Julie Maspons, M.B.A. ’88 Owen A. May, B.S. ’81 Troy Odom Denise R. Mincey-Mills, B.B.A. ’79 Dorean Gordon Williams Larry Robertson, A.B. ’79 Liza Winkeljohn Clementine Sherman, M.S.Ed. ’80 Black Alumni Society Presidents Margery S. “Bunty” Johnson, B.S. ’79 David L. Wilson, B.B.A. ’82 1997-2001 2009-2011 Denise R. Mincey-Mills, B.B.A. ’79 Phyllis E. Tyler, B.B.A. ’79 2001-2005 2011-2013 Melissa A. Rolle-Scott, B.S.I.E. ’79 Vanessa Lerouge, B.S.C. ’03 2005-2007 2013-2015 Stanley B. Thornton, B.S.I.E. ’81 Cie J. Cochran, B.B.A. ’01, M.P.A. ’06 2007-2009 2015-Present United Black Students Presidents Name Year Harold Long, Jr. 1967-68 Name Year Willard Butler 1968-69 Zuri A. Stanback 1992-93 Glen Fubbler 1969-70 Sydnia A. Crosbie 1993-94 John Bailey 1970-71 Demetric R. Ford 1994-95 Robert Holmes 1971-72 Nicole Gordon 1995-96 Vaughncille Molden 1972-73 Nicole Gordon 1996-97 Jimmy Lacey 1973-74 Lisa Lee 1997-98 Gregory Adams 1974-75 Tiffany Johnson 1998-99 Charles Cooper 1975-76 Charles Monterio 1999-20 Lou Dykes 1976-77 Saradiah Kernizan 2000-01 Reggie Dickerson 1976-77 Kerrol Codallo-Nelson 2001-02 Larry Robertson 1977-78 Lesley-Ann Brown 2002-03 JeJuan (Spence) Stewart 1977-78 Bryan Jones 2003-04 Edith Williams 1978-79 Wendy-Ann Dixon 2004-05 Owen A.